Sophomore forward Michele Russell, who missed the final 14 contests of the 2005 season with a badly sprained ankle, took the ball into the box on the right side. Russell dribbled past a pair of Toro defenders and then slid a pass across the top of the box to Gwartz on the left side. The Gaucho midfielder carried the ball into a swarm of Dominguez Hills defenders and then hit a shot into the lower left portion of the goal, out of the reach of goalkeeper Rachel Rood, for the match's only goal at the 1:12 mark.

The teams, playing three 30-minute periods instead of two 45-minute halves, battled evenly the rest of the way. While Dominguez Hills used 15 total players, UCSB head coach Paul Stumpf substituted liberally, using 24 players.

Senior goalkeeper Katie Wright, freshman goalkeeper Tammy Lenham and redshirt freshman goalkeeper Austen Everett each played a full 30 minute period. Wright, a transfer from Nebraska where she started every match as a sophomore, needed just one save before giving way to Lenham, a highly touted freshman. Lenham had a pair of saves in her outing. Everett had three saves to secure the Gaucho win.

Santa Barbara played the match without several key players. Senior midfielder Kristyn Bright is nursing a sore leg, while senior forward Allie Kueny continues to rehabilitate an injured knee. Also, junior forward Heather Young, a transfer from Ohio State, has yet to become eligible. She is expected to be ready for the regular season.

UCSB finished the match with 13 shots, five of which were on goal. Senior forward Chandi Bickford, limited by injuries to just seven matches in 2005, led the way with four shots. Only one other Gaucho, junior defender Kandice Mclaughlin, had more than one shot. She had a pair. Cal State Dominguez Hills had 12 shots as a team.

The Gauchos will open the regular season on Friday, Aug. 25, when they travel to Los Angeles to take-on 17th-ranked USC.